Editing Doc Watson

{{Short description|American musician (1923–2012)}}
{{About|the musician|his album|Doc Watson (album)|the baseball player|Doc Watson (baseball)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Doc Watson
| image             = Doc Watson Sugar Grove.jpg
| caption           = Watson at MusicFest 'N Sugar Grove, [[Sugar Grove, North Carolina]], 2009
| birth_name        = Arthel Lane Watson
| alias             = Doc Watson
| spouse            = Rosa Lee Carlton Watson
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1923|03|03}}
| birth_place       = [[Deep Gap, North Carolina]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|2012|05|29|1923|03|03}}
| death_place       = [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]], U.S.
| instrument        = Vocals, guitar, [[banjo]], harmonica
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Bluegrass music|Bluegrass]]|[[Folk music|folk]]|[[Old-time music|old-time]]|[[Country music|country]]|[[Blues music|blues]]|[[Gospel music|gospel]]}}
| occupation        = Musician, singer-songwriter
| years_active      = 1953–2012
| label             = [[Folkways Records|Folkways]], [[Vanguard Records|Vanguard]], [[United Artists Records|United Artists]], [[Flying Fish Records|Flying Fish]], [[Sugar Hill Records (bluegrass)|Sugar Hill]]
| website           = 
}}

'''Arthel Lane''' "'''Doc'''" '''Watson''' (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]], [[American folk music|folk]], [[Country music|country]], [[blues]], and [[gospel music]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1914571|title=Guitarist Arthel 'Doc' Watson|website=[[Fresh Air]] |date=May 28, 2004 |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=2016-05-16}}</ref> He won seven [[Grammy]] awards as well as a [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]]. His [[Fingerstyle guitar|fingerpicking]] and [[flatpicking]] skills, as well as his knowledge of traditional American music, were highly regarded.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.docsguitar.com/index.html|title=Doc's Guitar - The Guitar of Doc Watson|publisher=Docsguitar.com|access-date=2016-05-16}}</ref> Blind from a young age, he performed publicly both in a dance band and solo, as well as for over 15 years with his son, guitarist [[Merle Watson]], until Merle's death in 1985 in an accident on the family farm.<ref name="miller">{{cite web|url=http://www.flatpick.com/Pages/Featured_Artist/Doc.html|title=Doc Watson: Flatpicking Legend|last=Miller|first=Dan|date=September 1998|volume=2 |issue=6 |magazine=Flatpicking Guitar Magazine|access-date=2008-11-28|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122031006/http://flatpick.com/Pages/Featured_Artist/Doc.html|archive-date=January 22, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="wilkes">{{cite web
  | title = Doc Watson Biography
  | publisher = [[Wilkes Community College]]
  | year = 2005
  | url = http://www.merlefest.org/DocsIntro.htm
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090212102758/http://merlefest.org/DocsIntro.htm
  | archive-date = February 12, 2009
  | access-date = 2009-03-09}}</ref><ref name="n_and_o">
{{cite news
 |last        = Menconi
 |first       = David
 |title       = Doc of Ages
 |work        = [[The News & Observer]]<!-- This article has a quote from Doc's daughter Nancy explaining the confusion over his birth date, a result of an error in a Bluegrass Unlimited magazine article.  Nancy says the date is March 3, 1923. -->
 |location    = North Carolina
 |date        = March 2, 2003
 |url         = http://blogsarchive.newsobserver.com/beat/index.php?p=11290&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
 |access-date  = 2009-03-09
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://archive.today/20130129193805/http://blogsarchive.newsobserver.com/beat/index.php?p=11290&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
 |archive-date = January 29, 2013
 |df          = mdy-all
}}</ref>

==Biography==
===Early life===
Watson was born in [[Deep Gap, North Carolina]].<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|pages=1235/6}}</ref>  According to Watson on his three-CD biographical recording ''[[Legacy (Doc Watson album)|Legacy]]'', he got the nickname "Doc" during a live radio broadcast when the announcer remarked that his given name Arthel was odd and he needed an easy nickname. A fan in the crowd shouted "Call him Doc!", presumably in reference to the literary character [[Sherlock Holmes]]'s companion, [[Doctor Watson]].  The name stuck.<ref name="Legacy">
{{cite video
  | people = Doc Watson
  | title = [[Legacy (Doc Watson album)|Legacy]] 
  | publisher = High Windy Audio
  | medium = CD
  |date = 2002}}</ref>

An eye infection caused Watson to lose his vision before his second birthday.<ref name="Larkin"/> He attended North Carolina's school for the blind, the [[Governor Morehead School]], in [[Raleigh, North Carolina]].<ref name="Kaufman">{{cite book| last = Kaufman| first = Steve| title = The Legacy of Doc Watson| publisher = Mel Bay Publications| year = 1999| page = 152| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Et6zwlhPwUcC | isbn = 978-0-7866-3393-7}}</ref>

In a 1989 radio interview with [[Terry Gross]] on the ''[[Fresh Air]]'' show on [[National Public Radio]], Watson spoke about how he got his first guitar. His father told him if he and his brother David chopped down all the small dead [[chestnut tree]]s along the edge of their field, they could sell the wood to a [[tannery]].  Watson bought a Sears Silvertone from [[Sears Roebuck]] with his earnings,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://equipboard.com/pros/doc-watson/sears-silvertone-1448l-model-57|work=equipboard.com|title=The Guitar of Doc Watson}}</ref> while his brother bought a new suit.<ref name="firstguitar">
{{cite web
| title =Doc Watson
| date =September 3, 2010
| publisher =Npr.org
| url =https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=129579152
| access-date =2010-09-03 }}</ref> Later in the same interview, Watson mentioned that his first high-quality guitar was a [[C. F. Martin & Company|Martin]] D-18.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fretbase.com/blog/2010/9/doc-watsons-first-martin-guitar/ |title=Fretbase, Doc Watson's first Martin Guitar |publisher=Fretbase.com |date=September 9, 2010 |access-date=2012-05-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307230958/http://www.fretbase.com/blog/2010/9/doc-watsons-first-martin-guitar/ |archive-date=March 7, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Watson's earliest influences were country roots musicians and groups such as the [[Carter Family]] and [[Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)|Jimmie Rodgers]]. The first song he learned to play on the guitar was "When Roses Bloom in Dixieland", first recorded by the [[Carter Family]] in 1930. Watson said in an interview with ''[[American Songwriter]]'' that "[[Jimmie Rodgers]] was the first man that I started to claim as my favorite."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/05/r-i-p-doc-watson-read-our-2012-interview/|title=R.I.P. Doc Watson; Read Our 2012 Interview|magazine=[[American Songwriter]]|access-date=May 30, 2012}}</ref>  Watson proved to be a natural musical talent and within months was performing on local street corners playing songs from the [[Delmore Brothers]], [[Louvin Brothers]], and [[Bill Monroe|Monroe Brothers]] alongside his brother Linny. By the time Watson reached adulthood, he had become a proficient acoustic and electric guitar player.<ref name="misterguitar">{{cite web|url=http://www.misterguitar.com/bios/watsonbio.html|title=Doc Watson|publisher=Chet Atkins: Mister Guitar – Books & Bios|work=misterguitar.com/bios|access-date=2008-11-28}}</ref>

===Career===
[[File:Doc Watson 1994-4.jpg|thumb|Watson performing in 1994]]

In 1953, Watson joined the [[Johnson City, Tennessee]]–based Jack Williams's [[country and western]] [[Swing music|swing]] band on [[electric guitar]]. The band seldom had a [[fiddle]] player, but was often asked to play at [[square dance]]s. Following the example of country guitarists [[Grady Martin]] and [[Hank Garland]], Watson taught himself to play fiddle tunes on his [[Gibson Les Paul]] electric guitar. He later transferred the technique to acoustic guitar, and playing fiddle tunes became part of his signature sound.<ref name="miller"/><ref name="AG">{{cite web | last = Havighurst | first = Craig | title = Living Legacy | publisher = Acoustic Guitar magazine | date = June 2003 | url = http://www.acousticguitar.com/issues/ag126/feature126.html | access-date = November 20, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090429095130/http://www.acousticguitar.com/issues/ag126/feature126.html | archive-date = April 29, 2009 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>  During his time with Jack Williams, Watson also supported his family as a [[piano tuner]].

In 1960, as the [[American folk music revival]] grew, Watson took the advice of folk [[musicologist]] and [[Smithsonian]] [[curator]] [[Ralph Rinzler]] and began playing acoustic guitar and [[banjo]] exclusively.<ref name="Kaufman" /> That move ignited Watson's career when he played on his first recording, ''Old Time Music at [[Clarence Ashley]]'s''.  Also of pivotal importance for his career was his February 11, 1961, appearance at [[P.S. 41]] in [[Greenwich Village]].<ref name="NYT">{{cite news | last = Grimes | first = William | title = Doc Watson, Blind Guitar Wizard Who Influenced Generations, Dies at 89 | newspaper = New York Times  | date = May 29, 2012 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/arts/music/doc-watson-folk-musician-dies-at-89.html | access-date = May 30, 2012}}</ref> He then began to tour as a solo performer and appeared at universities and clubs like the [[Ash Grove (music club)|Ash Grove]] in [[Los Angeles]]. Watson eventually got his big break and rave reviews for his performance at the [[Newport Folk Festival]] in [[Newport, Rhode Island]] in 1963.<ref name="Larkin"/> Watson recorded his [[Doc Watson (album)|first solo album]] in 1964 and began performing with his son [[Merle Watson|Merle]] in the same year.<ref name="Larkin"/>

After the folk revival waned during the late 1960s, Doc Watson's career was sustained by his performance of the [[Jimmy Driftwood]] song "[[Tennessee Stud]]" on the 1972 live album recording ''[[Will the Circle be Unbroken (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album)|Will the Circle Be Unbroken]]''.  As popular as ever, Doc and Merle began playing as a trio with [[T. Michael Coleman]] on bass guitar in 1974. The trio toured the globe during the late seventies and early eighties, recording eleven albums between 1973 and 1985, and bringing Doc and Merle's unique blend of acoustic music to millions of new fans.<ref name="AG"/> In 1985, Merle died in a tractor accident on his family farm. Two years later [[MerleFest|Merle Fest]] was inaugurated in remembrance of him.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.readthehook.com/86014/interview-docs-orders-no-heavy-metal-merlefest|title=Interview- Doc's orders: No heavy metal at MerleFest|website=Readthehook.com|access-date=2016-05-16|archive-date=May 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530212257/http://www.readthehook.com/86014/interview-docs-orders-no-heavy-metal-merlefest|url-status=dead}}</ref>[[File:DocW Sculpture Boone.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Watson sculpture on the corner of King and Depot Streets in [[Boone, North Carolina]]. The plaque on the bench reads "Just one of the People".]]

{{quote box|width=22em|[[Arlen Roth]] writes, "...we can attribute an entirely new style and a whole generation of pickers to [Watson's] inspiration.  He was the first rural acoustic player to truly 'amaze' urban audiences in the early 1960s with his dazzling, fast technique, and he has continued to be a driving, creative force on the acoustic music scene."<ref>{{cite book| last=Roth| first=Arlen| title=Arlen Roth's complete acoustic guitar| publisher=Schirmer Books| date=1985| page=47| isbn=0-02-872150-0}}</ref>}}

Doc Watson played guitar in both [[flatpicking]] and [[Fingerstyle guitar|fingerpicking]] style, but is best known for his flatpick work. His guitar playing skills, combined with his authenticity as a mountain musician, made him a highly influential figure during the folk music revival. He pioneered a fast and flashy [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]] lead guitar style including fiddle tunes and [[crosspicking]] techniques which were adopted and extended by [[Clarence White]], [[Tony Rice]] and many others. Watson was also an accomplished banjo player and sometimes accompanied himself on harmonica as well. Known also for his distinctive and rich [[baritone]] voice, Watson over the years developed a vast repertoire of mountain [[ballad]]s, which he learned via the [[oral tradition]] of his home area in [[Deep Gap, North Carolina]].

Watson played a [[C.F. Martin & Company|Martin]] model D-18 guitar on his earliest recordings. In 1968, Watson began a relationship with Gallagher Guitars when he started playing their G-50 model. His first Gallagher, which Watson referred to as "Ol' Hoss", was on display at the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] before residing at the Gallagher shop until 2012, when it was auctioned through [[Christie's]] on November 27, 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Release: Christie's to Offer a Range of Fine Musical Instruments in November from Italian Masters to Contemporary Classics |url=https://www.christies.com/about-us/press-archive/details?PressReleaseID=5934&lid=1&mob-is-app=false |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=www.christies.com |language=en}}</ref> In 1974, Gallagher created a customized G-50 line to meet Watson's preferred specifications, which bears the Doc Watson name. In 1991, Gallagher customized a personal [[Cutaway (guitar)|cutaway]] guitar for Watson that he played until his death and which he referred to as "Donald" in honor of Gallagher guitar's second-generation proprietor and builder, Don Gallagher.<ref name="callow">{{cite web|url=http://www.gallagherguitar.com/flatpickart.html|title=Gallagher Guitars|last=Callow|first=John|date=January 1997|publisher=Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, Vol 1, No 2|work=flatpick.com|access-date=2008-11-28|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081108001406/http://www.gallagherguitar.com/flatpickart.html|archive-date=November 8, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref> During his last years, Watson played a [[Dana Bourgeois]] [[Dreadnought (guitar type)|dreadnought]] given to him by [[Ricky Skaggs]] for his 80th birthday. Another of Watson's favorites was his Arnold guitar, "The Jimmie", built by luthier John Arnold as a tribute to the famous 1926 Martin 00-18 played by [[Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)|Jimmie Rodgers]].

In 1994, Watson teamed with musicians [[Randy Scruggs]] and [[Earl Scruggs]] to contribute the classic song "[[Keep on the Sunny Side]]" to the AIDS benefit album [[Red Hot + Country]] produced by the [[Red Hot Organization]].

===Later life===
[[File:Merlewatson.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Merle Watson, c. 1979]]

In his later life, Watson scaled back his touring schedule. He was generally joined onstage by his grandson (Merle's son) Richard, as well as longtime musical partners [[David Holt (musician)|David Holt]] or [[Jack Lawrence (bluegrass)|Jack Lawrence]]. On June 19, 2007, Watson was accompanied by Australian guitar player [[Tommy Emmanuel]] at a concert at the [[Bass Performance Hall]] in [[Fort Worth, Texas]]. Watson also performed, accompanied by Holt and Richard, at the [[Hardly Strictly Bluegrass]] festival in [[San Francisco]] in 2009, as he had done for several previous festivals.

Watson hosted the annual [[MerleFest]] music festival held every April at [[Wilkes Community College]] in [[Wilkesboro, North Carolina]]. The festival features a vast array of acoustic style music focusing on the folk, bluegrass, [[blues]] and old-time music genres. It was named in honor of Merle Watson and is one of the most popular acoustic music festivals in the world, drawing over 70,000 music fans each year.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/obit/story/2012-05-29/doc-watson-dies/55271498/1 | title=Doc Watson, folk music legend, dies at 89 | work=[[USA Today]] | date=May 30, 2012 | access-date=May 30, 2012 | last=Mansfield | first=Brian | archive-date=May 30, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530103832/http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/obit/story/2012-05-29/doc-watson-dies/55271498/1 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The festival has continued after his death.

Watson was inducted into the [[North Carolina Music Hall of Fame]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=2010 Inductees|url=http://northcarolinamusichalloffame.org/category/inductees/2010-inductees/|publisher=North Carolina Music Hall of Fame|access-date=September 10, 2012}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 1947, Watson married Rosa Lee Carlton, the daughter of popular fiddle player [[Gaither Carlton]]. The couple had two children, [[Merle Watson|Eddy Merle]] (named after country music legends [[Eddy Arnold]] and [[Merle Travis]]) in 1949 and Nancy Ellen in 1951.<ref name="Kaufman" />
[[File:Docwatson-fls.jpg|thumb|left|Watson's last performance, 2012]]

On April 29, 2012, Watson performed with the [[Nashville Bluegrass Band]] on the Creekside Stage at MerleFest. It was an annual tradition for Watson to join the Nashville Bluegrass Band for a gospel set on the festival's Sunday morning. It would be his final performance.

On May 21, 2012, Watson fell at his home. He was not seriously injured in the fall, but an underlying medical condition prompted surgery on his colon.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.goblueridge.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16053:doc-watson-dead-at-89&catid=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601030717/http://www.goblueridge.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16053:doc-watson-dead-at-89&catid=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 1, 2012|title=Doc Watson Dead at 89|work=GoBlueRidge.net – High Country News, Weather and Bulletins|publisher=High County Adventures|date=May 29, 2012|access-date=May 29, 2012}}</ref> Watson died on May 29, 2012, at [[Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/230442/217/Bluegrass-Legend-Doc-Watson-Dies|title=Doc Watson Bluegrass Legend Dies at 89 in Winston-Salem|date=May 29, 2012|work=WFMY News 2|access-date=May 30, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705080310/http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/230442/217/Bluegrass-Legend-Doc-Watson-Dies|archive-date=July 5, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> of complications following the surgery at the age of 89.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Benjy Eisen |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/folk-pioneer-doc-watson-dead-at-89-20120529 |title=Folk Pioneer Doc Watson Dead at 89 &#124; Music News |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=May 29, 2012 |access-date=2014-07-12 |archive-date=September 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903030547/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/folk-pioneer-doc-watson-dead-at-89-20120529 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He is buried in the Merle and Doc Watson Memorial Cemetery, Deep Gap with his wife and son.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Scott |author-link= |date=August 19, 2016 |title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.|publisher=McFarland |page=792}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.journalpatriot.com/news/rosa-lee-watson-remembered-for-influence-on-merlefest/article_15c0dbdc-37fb-11e2-83c4-001a4bcf6878.html|title=Rosa Lee Watson remembered for influence on MerleFest|date=November 26, 2012|website=journalpatriot}}</ref>

==Legacy==
In 2002, High Windy Audio released a multi-CD biographical album of Watson's work, titled ''[[Legacy (Doc Watson album)|Legacy]]''. The collection features audio interviews with Watson interspersed with music, as well as a complete recording of a live performance at the Diana Wortham Theatre in [[Asheville, North Carolina]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/legacy-mw0000216408 |title=Legacy |last1=Smith |first1=Jim |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=February 25, 2013}}</ref> The collection won the 2002 [[Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=&field_nominee_work_value=&year=2002&genre=59 |title=2002 – 45th Annual Grammy Awards |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=Past Winners Search |publisher=[[Grammy Awards]] |access-date=February 25, 2013}}</ref>

In 2010, Blooming Twig Books published a comprehensive biography of Watson, written by [[Kent Gustavson]]. The book, titled ''[[Blind But Now I See: The Biography of Music Legend Doc Watson]]'', features never before published content regarding Watson's life and career, gleaned from interviews with Watson's friends and collaborators including [[Norman Blake (American musician)|Norman Blake]], [[Sam Bush]], members of the [[Seeger family]], [[Michelle Shocked]], and many others. The book also covers the life, supporting role, and untimely death of [[Merle Watson]].<ref>{{cite web|title=24-February-2013 Kent Gustavson interview on Outsight Radio Hours|url=https://archive.org/details/KentGustavsonOnOutsightRadioHours|work=Archive.org|access-date=March 24, 2013}}</ref> An updated edition was released by Sumach-Red Books in March 2012.<ref name="nd">{{cite web|url=http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/interview-author-dr-kent-gustavson-discusses-his-doc-watson |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411133538/http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/interview-author-dr-kent-gustavson-discusses-his-doc-watson |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 11, 2013 |title=Interview: Author Dr. Kent Gustavson Discusses His Doc Watson Biography "Blind But Now I See" |last1=Mateer |first1=Chris |date=September 12, 2012 |publisher=[[No Depression (magazine)|No Depression]]|access-date=February 17, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="book2">{{cite book |last=Gustavson |first=Kent |title=Blind But Now I See: The Biography of Music Legend Doc Watson |year=2012 |publisher=Blooming Twig Books |location=New York City |isbn=978-1-937753-00-9}}</ref><ref name="book">{{cite book |last=Gustavson |first=Kent |title=Blind But Now I See: The Biography of Music Legend Doc Watson |year=2010 |publisher=Blooming Twig Books |location=New York City |isbn=978-1-933918-87-7}}</ref>

In April 2013, Open Records released a multi-disc collection of unreleased recordings by Watson. The collection, titled ''Milestones'', features 94 songs as well as stories, remembrances, and over 500 photographs. The collection was created by Watson's daughter, Nancy, and is being produced by [[ETSU|ETSU Bluegrass]] and ETSU professor Roy Andrade.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timesnews.net/article/9057689/doc-watsons-daughter-etsu-professor-create-box-set-of-legendary-guitar-player |title=Doc Watson's daughter, ETSU professor create box set of legendary guitar player |last1=Bunch |first1=Wes |date=February 22, 2013 |publisher=[[Kingsport Times-News]] |access-date=February 25, 2013 |archive-date=December 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205010801/http://www.timesnews.net/article/9057689/doc-watsons-daughter-etsu-professor-create-box-set-of-legendary-guitar-player |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The popularity of the [[Flatpicking|flat picking]] style of guitar playing has been partially credited to Doc Watson and bluegrass bands have incorporated it widely including artist such as [[Billy Strings]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} 

==Discography==
{{further|Doc Watson discography}}

==Awards and honors==
In 1986, Watson received the [[North Carolina Award]] and in 1994 he received a [[North Carolina Folk Heritage Award]]. He is a recipient of a 1988 [[National Heritage Fellowship]] awarded by the [[National Endowment for the Arts]], which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/year/1988|title=NEA National Heritage Fellowships 1988 |author=<!--Not stated-->  |website=Arts.gov |publisher=National Endowment for the Arts |access-date=December 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730005654/https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/year/1988 |archive-date=July 30, 2020 | url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2000, Watson was inducted into the [[International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor]] in [[Owensboro, Kentucky]]. In 1997, Watson received the [[National Medal of Arts]] from U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]].<ref name="nea">{{cite web |url=http://www.nea.gov/honors/medals/ |title=National Medal of Arts &#124; NEA |publisher=Nea.gov |access-date=2014-07-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130917061920/http://www.nea.gov/honors/medals/ |archive-date=September 17, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> In 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctor of music degree from [[Berklee College of Music]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Hayes|first=Rob|title=Doc Watson Receives Honorary Doctorate|url=http://www.berklee.edu/news/1790/doc-watson-receives-honorary-doctorate|access-date=May 30, 2012}}</ref>

There is a sign on [[U.S. Route 421 in North Carolina|U.S. Route 421]] near Deep Gap (Watson's birthplace) with the inscription, "Doc and Merle Watson Highway", where that part of the highway is named for both Doc Watson and his son.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourstate.com/doc-watson/|title=Remembering Doc Watson|date=July 2, 2012|website=Ourstate.com}}</ref>

===Grammy Awards===
* [[Grammy Awards of 1974#Folk|1973 Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording (Including Traditional Blues)]]: Doc Watson for ''Then and Now''
* [[Grammy Awards of 1975#Folk|1974 Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording]]: Merle Watson and Doc Watson for ''Two Days in November''
* [[Grammy Awards of 1980#Country|1979 Best Country Instrumental Performance]]: Doc Watson and Merle Watson for "Big Sandy/Leather Britches"
* [[Grammy Awards of 1987#Folk|1986 Best Traditional Folk Recording]]: Doc Watson for ''Riding the Midnight Train''
* [[Grammy Awards of 1991#Folk|1990 Best Traditional Folk Recording]]: Doc Watson for ''On Praying Ground''
* [[45th Grammy Awards#Folk|2002 Best Traditional Folk Album]]: Doc Watson and David Holt for ''[[Legacy (Doc Watson album)|Legacy]]''
* [[47th Grammy Awards|2004]] [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award|Lifetime Achievement Award]]
* [[49th Grammy Awards|2006 Best Country Instrumental Performance]]: Bryan Sutton and Doc Watson for "Whiskey Before Breakfast" track from ''Not Too Far from the Tree'' by [[Bryan Sutton]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.floridamemory.com/solr-search/results/?q=%28%28Doc%20Watson%20AND%20119_s:%22mp3true%22%29%20OR%20%28Doc%20Watson%20%29%29%20AND%20collection:%22Florida%20Folklife%20Collection%22%20AND%2051_s:(%22Sound%22OR%22sound%22)&query=Doc%20Watson&searchbox=3 Collection of Doc Watson performances from the Florida Folklife Collection]; {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605044231/https://www.floridamemory.com/solr-search/results/?q=%28%28Doc%20Watson%20AND%20119_s:%22mp3true%22%29%20OR%20%28Doc%20Watson%20%29%29%20AND%20collection:%22Florida%20Folklife%20Collection%22%20AND%2051_s:(%22Sound%22OR%22sound%22)&query=Doc%20Watson&searchbox=3 |date=June 5, 2016 }} (made available for public use by the [[State Archives of Florida]])
* Interviews on [[NPR]]:
** [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1914571 Guitarist Arthel 'Doc' Watson Interview] on NPR's ''[[Fresh Air]]''
** [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1145987 Bob Edwards interview with Doc Watson] from 2002 on NPR's ''[[Morning Edition]]''
* Appearances on APM's ''[[A Prairie Home Companion]]'':
** [https://www.prairiehome.org/shows/57979.html October 23, 1999 broadcast with Doc Watson, Jack Lawrence, and the Fairfield Four]
** [https://www.prairiehome.org/shows/57473.html February 14, 2004 broadcast with Sam Bush and Doc Watson]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110717134628/http://www.ncfolkloresociety.org/journals/ncfj562.pdf "A History of Bluegrass Guitar in Western North Carolina"] by John Martin in ''North Carolina Folklore Journal'', Volume 56, Number 2 (Fall–Winter 2009): Article on Doc Watson and other western NC guitar players
* [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Doc-Watson Doc Watson] on ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''
* {{AllMusic | id=mn0000169202 |title=Doc Watson}}

{{International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame}}
{{National Medal of Arts recipients 1990s}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Doc}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:American banjoists]]
[[Category:American blind people]]
[[Category:American bluegrass guitarists]]
[[Category:American blues guitarists]]
[[Category:American blues singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American country guitarists]]
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American folk guitarists]]
[[Category:American folk singers]]
[[Category:American male guitarists]]
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American musicians with disabilities]]
[[Category:American street performers]]
[[Category:Appalachian culture]]
[[Category:Blind musicians]]
[[Category:Bluegrass musicians from North Carolina]]
[[Category:Country musicians from North Carolina]]
[[Category:Flying Fish Records artists]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners]]
[[Category:Guitarists from North Carolina]]
[[Category:Musicians from Appalachia]]
[[Category:National Heritage Fellowship winners]]
[[Category:North Carolina Heritage Award winners]]
[[Category:Old-time musicians]]
[[Category:People from Deep Gap, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from North Carolina]]
[[Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients]]
[[Category:Vanguard Records artists]]